Leaders Are People Too
by xxtigergirlxx
Summary: Takes place from Rachel's POV. What happened? Why does Rachel say she's at a church session? What am I having for dinner? oh, well... chapter 10! pleez r&r!
1. Jake

**Jake**

((Cassie! To your left!!)) I yelled as I ran at the Hork-Bajir who was aiming the Dracon beam at her. She looked, and unnecessarily, jumped out of the way. Before he shot, just to make sure, I knocked the gun out of his hand and tackled him to the ground.

"AHHHH!!" He bellowed in pain. I tore at his leg with my teeth, ripping the tendons and soft tissue inside. Blood poured from the wound and the greenish liquid filled my mouth, making me gag.

I jumped off of him as he stumbled, leaving him to fall alone.

Visser Three was my next target. He was off to my right, battling Rachel and giving orders to his many troops. I watched him as I ran. I loathed him. He was the enemy. He was the one who stole my brother from me, who made me hurt so much.

And he would die today.

((Rachel, go somewhere!)) I said my voice filled with a rage that most certainly wasn't aimed at her. ((He's mine.)) Rachel did as she was told, giving one last strike to the face before disappearing from view. The visser sensed my presence and turned to face me as I leapt at him, claws outstretched.

He whipped his tail forward, aiming for my neck. At the last second, I twisted my body, causing it to tear my shoulder instead.

I roared in anger and pain. That filth had the nerve to touch me!!

"HOOAAARRRR!!" I roared and leapt again. This time he wasn't prepared, however. My vocals had startled him and, for the meantime, he couldn't regain his balance. I collided with him and we rolled on the ground, a mixture of fur and blade.

We rolled into a cave of some sort, and as soon as we fell to the ground I got on top of him, preventing any escape. However, he predicted this would happen, and kicked my stomach, sending me flying. I hit a side wall hard and the force of it was enough to make me go unconscious. But I needed to make sure he died, I couldn't let him escape.

The ceiling began to shake and chunks of rock began to fall around us. A cave in! I watched as a piece of rock fell from the ceiling and clonk the visser in the head, knocking him out.

Rocks began to pile in the doorway, blocking our escape. The visser wasn't getting up, and neither was I. I just wanted to rest.

And so I did.


	2. Visser Three

**Visser Three**

I woke up, my head still throbbing in pain. I ground as I shakily sat up and rubbed my head. It was still mainly dark in the room, only slivers of light could be seen pouring through the cracks from the pile of rocks.

_Where am I? _I wondered.

I looked around. To my distaste there seemed to be no way out. And I could not hear the sounds of battles coming from the other side of the cave walls. Which meant that they had either left me or...

I shook my head. I must have gotten hit pretty hard to be thinking such nonsense. They would never leave me! I was Visser Three! And if they had indeed left, they had not realized their mistake.

A groan pulled me from my laments. I looked around quickly, raising my tail incase this noise was a threat. I found the source of the sound. A teenaged human male was lying on the floor a few yards away from where I stood. He slowly sat up and shook his head. He looked around, trying to figure out where exactly he was.

When his eyes fell on me, he jumped and backed into the wall. His eyes were wide in terror and confusion.

I lowered my tail as he obviously thought of me as a threat. But it was only then that I recognized this human. I had seen him at a restaurant

once. Hs brother, Tom, had kindly introduced us, however, he had neglected to shake my hand.

His excuse was something about mashed potatoes.

((Jake?)) I asked kindly, trying not to frighten the poor child. His eyes widened even more and I half-expected him to scream in fear. But he

didn't. Instead, he just sat there and stared at me for a long time before he finally spoke.

"Stay away from me." He said menacingly, climbing to his feet. "I don't feel like being in pain anymore, understand? I just want to go home! I'm hungry, tired and lost and I don't want anyone, especially not you, to talk to or come anywhere near me." He breathed heavily.

I was shocked! He knew who I was, but wasn't afraid of me?

He was talking to me like we both knew each other. Like we were enemies. Then I remembered what had happened the night before. The tiger and I had become unconscious after the cave in. The walls were still sealed, meaning no one could get in or out. The human hated me, and was a little fearful around me. And the tiger was morph-capable. Meaning...

((You.)) I said, all my rage reflecting in that single word. I stepped back, away from the filth. Jake looked up at me in mock surprise.

"Wow. You just figured it out? Jeeze, I knew you were stupid but come on! It doesn't even take Marco that long!" He laughed at me. That got me even madder.

((I wouldn't be laughing if I were you 'Jake'. You're the one at the disadvantage here.)) I smirked. That shut him up. He looked around the cave for a while silent.

"Where's the stream?" He asked. I stood my ground. I wasn't about to fall for some little 'stream' prank.

((I don't know, find it yourself.)) I retorted, thinking about how utterly simple it would be to just snap his neck in half. He sighed tiredly.

"Look, visser, the only way we're going to survive this is if we work together. Now I don't know about Andalites, but humans can last a little less than three days without water. I hear a stream, and it sounds like it's close. So, if you don't want to help me find it, then I'm not showing you where I got my water." He stated proudly. He stood there, dumbfounded. Andalites could only last four days without some kind of water.

((How can I trust you? You're way too calm for the situation.)) I smugly asked. He shrugged.

"That's not exactly the question here, now is it? The real question is, why should _I_ trust _you_? I'm at the disadvantage here, as you've arrogantly pointed out. I have no clue where we are, how to get back, and I'm pretty much helpless in my natural form. I'm hungry, thirsty, and, since I haven't slept in quite some time, am tired. So, it's your choice if you decide to trust me, but I've already made my decision." He pointed out.

((What decision is that?)) I asked him wearily.

"If we have no food, I get to eat you first." He said. I gasped and he laughed at me. "You should have seen you're face! I was just kidding! God, you are so gullible!" He wheezed.

"I've already decided to trust you, genius, since you're my only chance of surviving." He said. We looked at each other for a few minutes then he clapped his hands together and looked at the once-opened entrance.

"Now, how are we going to get out of this cave?" He asked me, smiling.

**A/N: so jake made the first move... will the visser trust him? will they get along? or will they decided its not worth it and just try to kill each other? r&r!!!!**


	3. The Cougar

**Jake**

"Now, how are we going to get out of this cave?" I asked Visser Three. Yes, Visser Three. My worst enemy, my foe, the guy I loathed more than my mom's cooking. And, yes, I am talking to him like he's my friend but that's only because I don't want to get on his bad side.

((I believe I can be of some assistance.)) He said before whipping his tail forward and knocking down the wall of stone.

I winced. "Ouch. Didn't that hurt?" I asked, looking at him. He seemed puzzled by the question.

((Of course not.)) He gloated. ((And andalite tailblade is made from pure steel and dyrank.))

"Uhm.. dyrank?" I scratched my head, confused. He looked at me and blinked, and then realized what I meant.

((Oh...haha, I forgot you weren't an Andalite!)) He laughed. ((Dyrank is... it's a reinforced mineral found on the Andalite homeworld. Very strong, very powerful when melted. That is what the Andalites used in their Shredders instead of bullets! It's also half the material shot out of Yeerk dracon beams.))

"Oh..okay then." I said. "Uhm, you have pretty good hearing right?" He seemed genuinely stumped by the question again.

((Depends on your definition of 'good'. Compared to human hearing, it is superior. To a Hork-Bajir's it is inferior. To a-)) He rambled.

"I'll take that as a yes." I interrupted. Jeez, this guy could defiantly get on your nerves. I was still a little nervous around him. I had every right to be! This could all be an act! He could kill me at any moment in a split second's time.

I hope I was right to trust him.

"Okay, can you tell me if you hear a stream nearby?" He said yes and told me where to go. It was a couple hundred feet away from the cave entrance. We drank as much water as we could hold and then marked this spot in our memory, for the next time we had to quench our thirsts. On our way back, however, we ran into a problem.

You see, we were up high on a mountain. And that's pretty much the definition of the habitat for a cougar.

We were almost back to the cave, Visser Three leading the way, when I saw the pawprint in the mud. I felt my eyes go wide. See, I've been a big cat. So, I guess you would say that I know what their feet look like.

"Shit!" He turned and looked at me, and when he saw my face he knew something was wrong.

((What is it?)) he asked me. I looked away from the imprint and at him.

"Mother cougar and two cubs. I think we're in their territory." I said glancing around quickly to see if they were here. The andalite snorted.

((So? Why do your pathetic earth creatures have to concern me?)) he asked. I glared at him, trying to think of a scenario that would concern him and a mother cougar.

"You know what I do to your men at battles?" I asked. He nodded, confused. "Well, imagine what I would do to them if you were holding my family hostage, getting ready to infest them." His eyes widened as he imagined the destruction that I would cause. "Yeah exactly. That's what she will do to us if she finds us in her home."

((I guess we had better move then.)) He observed.

"Yeah," I replied smugly, "only you're the one in her territory. Not me." He grew fearful, his eyes widening in terror.

((What do I do?!)) He cried frantically.

"First of all, shut up. Cougars have some of the most acute ears in all the animal kingdom." I replied. He did and I continued. "Next, slowly retrace your steps backwards and-" at that moment I heard a growl to my right.

It wasn't a happy growl, either.

It sounded mad.

The visser was retracing his steps while the mother cougar slowly decided whether to eat me or not. I shut my eyes tight. _please don't kill me, please don't kill me..._

RRAAWWRRRAAAWWW!!

I hit the deck just in time.The claws from the cat's front paws sliced through the hair on my head. As the cougar landed and slid, I stood and began to run. Because I've been a big cat, oh yes I have. So I know that when their prey runs, they love to give chase. But right then, I didn't care.

It was a predator and I was it's prey. And I so I decided to run.

Not long after that, I heard the animal behind me; giving chase. I tried to run faster but I couldn't, my energy was spent.

The cougar leapt at me. "RAAAWWRRRAAWW!!" It screamed again as its claws dug into my back, tearing my skin. I screamed in pain as I fell forward, feeling the blood flow from the wound. I twisted my body mid-air so that I faced it.

As I hit the ground, the wind was temporarily knocked out of me. The cougar leaned down and hissed, baring its fangs at me. It dug it claws into the skin around my chest and ripped into it.

My throat was wide open. Kill-shot! She quickly lunged down, aiming for my jugular. I couldn't move, I couldn't think. At least not about anything but the pain. Millimeters away, her body suddenly jerked up and she gave a yelp of pain before going limp. I felt a warm liquid drip down onto my stomach. Looking down, I saw that her underbelly had been pierced by a certain tailblade. Slowly, Visser Three lifted the cat off of me and placed her gently on the ground beside me.

As she was raised, her claws pulled out of my skin painfully, leaving the blood to gush out of my body. Visser Three offered his hand to me.

((When I heard the cougar, I knew it was after you. And, well, when you screamed I assumed you were hurt and..well...)) He told me sheepishly. ((Well, come on, let's get you back to the cave, you look terrible.))

I knew he was trying to cover up the rescue. He had saved me. My greatest enemy, Visser Three, had saved me from certain death even though he could have just watched me die. It would have made no difference to him whether I had lived or died. But he chose to save me. That's something you never forget.

He morphed to human and draped my arm over his shoulders. He advised me to lean on him, and I did, not even caring that we were once enemies. We walked back to the cave (but in my case, limped) and sat down in a corner. He laid me down gently, and knelt beside me.

((Morph Jake)) he commanded gently after demorphing again, ((You need to morph. Morph now, Jake!)) He was right, I was losing blood fast. I needed to morph. I concentrated on my dog, Homer.

Nothing happened.

The Peregrine Falcon that I had acquired. Nothing. My tiger. Nothing again. Roach, Flea, owl, skunk; nothing happened.

"I can't." I replied. "I can't morph." He stared at me for a minute.

"Of course you can, Jake. You were given the technology, now use it." He demanded after a while. I tried again. But as much as I wanted to do so, I could not morph.

I shook my head, "You try." I said weakly. He did, but nothing happened.

((I cannot.)) he replied, obviously shocked. I nodded slowly, drifting.

"Maybe... maybe it has something to do with Crayak." I reasoned. He looked at me.

((Crayak doesn't exist. He is merely a myth created by the andalites.)) He laughed. I shook my head again.

"Oh no, he exists. I've seen him." I explained my journey to the Iskoort homeworld.

((Wow.)) he said after I finished.

"Yeah." I said. "I'm tired." I yawned to prove my point. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close to his chest. I leaned on him, like he was a pillow and barely heard him whisper, ((I believe I trust you now.)) before I closed my eyes.

"Hey, Visser?" I said after a while.

((Yes, Jake?)) he replied. I paused to look at him.

"I'm really glad you saved my life." I said and adjusted my body to fit into his better.

And before I let sleep take me over completely, I heard him whisper ((I'm pretty glad about that, too Jake.))

**A/N: sniff sniff... aww so sad!! They finally trust each other!!! Yay!!! and just so you know... this is not V3/Jake schmut.. they WILL NOT fall in love!!! that's disgusting!!!! r&r!!**


	4. Goodnight, Jake

**Visser One**

I awoke from a restless sleep, feeling more tired than I had felt last night. I rubbed my eyes and tried to sit up but something heavy was holding me down. I looked to see what it was.

I smiled.

There, nestled into my right side like a small kitten, was a Jake. He was curled into a ball, trying to get as warm as possible. But also trying to feel safe, as I knew he hadn't felt in quite some time. I brushed a lock of hair from his face, and gasped. The boy was unusually pale and his face was gaunt, his skin stretching tight across his bones. His eyes had bags underneath them and he was lying limp on the floor.

I quickly grabbed his wrist with the same hand that had fixed his hair.

_Dun-dunt.. dun.. dun-dunt.. dun._

Not a regular heartbeat, but at least he had one. I sighed. these past few days had been incredibly strange for me. I had been trapped in a cage with my greatest enemy only days ago, and now, I was in a cage with a trustworthy friend. Life does much to confuse the curious, I thought as I checked his pulse again.

It was growing weaker.

He suddenly decided to adjust his position so that he was closer to me. Huh, that's unusual. It is a beautiful and warm day, and yet he's cold. I felt his forehead.

He was burning up!

Only when I looked at him closely, did I see that he was shaking, beads of sweat were glistening on his face. I quickly sat up.

I needed to find water!

But my sudden movements had caused the boy to stir and finally wake. His blue orbs were filled with anguish and fear. I pitied him above all other emotions I felt toward him.

"What's going on?" He asked me slightly frightened by the fact that we were so close. I silenced him.

((Shh. It'll be okay. Let's get you down to the river and get some cold water down your throat. How does that sound, hm?)) I asked. He nodded.

"My throat hurts." He said. "I would like some water." So we made our way to the stream and sat down next to it. I shoved my cupped hands into the cool water. Then, I brought them up to his mouth where he let it flow down his throat, easing the roughness of it.

When he was finished we hobbled back to the cave, with me supporting him the entire way since he still could not walk. We sat down in our little corner for a while, listening to each other breathe.

"What made you trust me?" He finally asked me, breaking the silence.

((Well... you saved my life by warning me about the lions. If you hadn't, I'd probably be dead right now. And besides, I like trusting you. It's more fun to be your friend than not.)) I said simply. He looked at the wall.

"Oh." He mumbled. I narrowed my eyes.

((Is something wrong Jake?)) I asked him.

He continued to look away from me, not daring to look me in the eye. "It's really hard for me to trust you. I mean I do but, there's a conflict going on inside of me. It's debating that issue. Whether to trust you or not." He said sadly. "You have done so many things in the past that have hurt me. And it's hard for me to get over that. To see passed our differences."

((What have I done?)) I asked soothingly, while lifting his chin so that he looked at me. To my surprise, he was crying.

"You took my brother from me and made him a slave. You took my childhood away as well, and made me live in fear. I haven't gotten sleep because of the nightmares you make me dream. I wake up screaming and panting from them. I'm the general of an army at the age of fifteen, leading my army into battle to kill yours. At age fifteen. I don't know how I can take it." He said desperately and I finally understood. I understood who had hurt this poor child so badly.

It had been me.

From then on, we talked. We told secrets and confessed to each other our strongest and weakest emotions. What would lead us to our breaking point and what would get the adrenaline flowing. As night fell, we played a human game that was called 'Would You Rather..?'.

At first we used only stupid questions to play. But then they became more personal. We played for a while before finally we got tired and got ready for bed. We slept the same way as we had the night before only this time not as close. Then, as I was drifting off to sleep, Jake asked me one final question.

"Hey Visser? Would you rather become my enemy again or stay my friend?" He asked solemnly. I looked at him.

((Like I said earlier Jake. It's a lot more fun to be your friend than to not. Especially when you get angry.)) I chuckled. He laughed at that. ((Goodnight, Jake.))

He snuggled closer to me again. "Goodnight, Visser." He said finally before falling asleep for the night.

((No more bad dreams.)) I whispered as I tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear and fell asleep as well.


	5. Am I Gonna Die?

**Jake**

The next day was Saturday, my favorite day. Only today, it wasn't. Usually on Saturdays, good things always seem to happen to me. Maybe I found twenty dollars on the ground or something really cool like that. But today, the worst possible thing was happening.

I was dying.

When I woke up today, all I could think of was the pain. It was so intense that I was almost blinded by it. But I could see shadows, outlines of people, drifting in and out of focus.

_Huh, I guess the search party is here. _I thought as I tried to listen to them. I only heard snatches of the conversation and something about Marco, but I couldn't make it out. Then I heard the Visser.

((Whether you believe me or not, he is hurt and needs medical assistance immediately.)) He sounded angry, but distant. I saw a fuzzy image of someone kneeling down next to me and put a small thermometer to my mouth. It was so cold.

I was so cold.

"Visser?" I asked weakly then coughed. The figure looked up and then back at me. Then I heard his voice in my head again.

((Yes, Jake?)) He asked gently.

"Where'd you get the thermometer?" I asked.

((Uhm, I found it on the ground.)) he answered somewhat sheepishly.

"Ewww." I said, wrinkling my nose to show distaste. Then I asked him if I would die. It took him a while to answer since at that moment the device beeped, signaling that it was done taking my temperature. He didn't answer for a long time after he looked at it.

((Well, Jake... that's hard to say. I mean... uhm... are you thirsty? We can head over to the stream if you want.)) He couldn't say it, but I knew. I knew what he meant by his random stuttering.

_I would die,_ I realized as darkness began to overtake me. I wouldn't die now. My death would come later.

For now I'll just sleep...

I could feel the Visser shaking my shoulders and calling my name again and again. At one point I swear I saw Cassie. Beautiful Cassie. _It's okay, _I wanted to tell them both, _I'm not dying yet, but soon. Don't mourn me now._

And then I slipped off into the darkness.


	6. Cassie's World

**Cassie**

I was worried.

Jake had been gone for almost a week now, and whats worse is that his parents are waiting to organize a search party. I don't know what I'll do if he's hurt. And, in any case, he should have been back by now. He should have morphed to bird and flew home.

But he hadn't.

I was working on a fox's broken leg when Tobias came to get me. It was late in the afternoon on Saturday. He flew through the door and glided up to the rafters.

I looked up at him, shielding my eyes from the bright light. "Hey, Tobias." I said, putting the fox back in its cage.

((Hey, Cassie.)) he said. ((Look, uhm, me and the team have decided that we're going to go look for Jake. Right now.)) Shutting the cage door, I smiled.

"I'm coming with." I said.

And so we searched.


	7. Visser Three meet, the ANIMORPHS!

**Visser Three**

I looked upon the sleeping form of Jake. He looked so serene, so peaceful..

So hurt.

It was hard to imagine that only a few days ago, he had been my worst enemy. I dwelled on this thought for awhile, before I began to hear voices. One by one, the called his name.

"Jake!" cried a younger girl. She was far off at the moment, but she was heading this way. Four more voices joined hers, each calling out to the sleeping human that lay in my lap. Could it be his team? The 'Andalite Bandits'? Even if it wasn't, I had to morph human.

But I couldn't. I was trapped. My peaople would be revealed!

((Damn you, Crayak.)) I seethed. I hated him, loathed him. I quickly got up. I couldn't allow anyone to see me. Human, Andalite, or 'bandit'. Jake's head made a loud thumping noise as it hit the ground. He didn't get up. His eyelids didn't even flutter.

This worried me greatly.

There was silence from the five intruders. Finally one of them, a male, asked, "What was that?" Mixed responses came from the others.

"I don't know."

"What if it's Jake?"

"It came from over there.. no, wait, from over there."

"Dude, what if it isn't? It could be a man eating bear!" They whispered. Then a girl told everyone to be quiet. They listened obiediently.

She paused for a moment before slowly speaking again. "I think it came from that pile of rocks over there." Another pause, then she said "Okay Tobias, go ahead."

Only moments after this was said, I heard fluttering from outside the cave entrance. Then, I heard thought-speech.

((Hey, you guys, this is a cave. There's a little hole over here.)) A boy said. AH-HAH!! So they were the Andalite Bandits. I knew it! Footsteps aproached the cave as Tobias demorphed.

"Would you look at that!" Said a boy, cockily. Then, he laughed.

"Marco, shut up!" A girl replied coldly. I heard a slap, shortly followed by a cry of pain from Marco.

"Thank you Rachel." The first girl replied. "Now you guys, listen up. I just got word from Erek that Visser Three seems to be missing as well as Jake." She paused, presumably to let it soak in. "Now, this could be a bear cave, so Rach be ready to morph. Any questions?" She sighed. "What, Marco?"

"Cassie, what if we run into the Visser?" He asked.

"Take him down!" Replied Rachel evilly.

"Noo." Cassie said. "We ambush him, and hold him for three days."

"Oh." he replied. "Alright." _I didn't like that idea... i didn't like it at all. _I shook Jake's shoulders, attempting to wake him.

((Jake!Jake, wake up!! Wake up!)) He grumbled and waved me away. _This is never going to work._ I decided. But before I could expand further on this thought, I heard footsteps enter the cave and head my way.

Crap! I quickly hid behind a wall and formed a plan in my head. Their footsteps drew nearer and finally came into the confinement. They walked around a bit before their flashlight landed on Jake.

Torn, bleeding, and broken.

"Oh my god! Jake!" The one called Cassie cried. I saw her run up to him, flashlight in hand. Any moment, she would see me. So, instead, I made my presence known.

I whipped out my tail as I stepped forward, arching it to stop at her throat. She squeeked and immediately came to a stop. However, the sudden jerk caused her to fall on her butt.

The poor girl still had her hand reached inside of the knapsack slung over her shoulder. Cassie was a short girl, with darker skin and black hair. She wore overalls and a green checkered shirt underneath. Her hiking boots were covered in mud from the forest. And her eyes brown and large with terror.

Her friends stand behind her, looking just about ready to fight. Rachel was tall and blonde, with light skin and blue eyes. Marco was a short Hispanic boy with shocking green eyes and long brown hair. Tobias was blonde, also with blue eyes and light skin.

The last was the andalite. He stood tall and proud, tail arched, ready to fight. _My, Jake had taught them well._

I drew my tail away from Cassie's jugular and pressed it to the floor. It is the Andalite way of showing that you do not wish to fight. I guess Aximili told them this because they stood down a little.

((Please, I do not wish to fight you. And as of right now, I am at your mercy. I cannot morph and neither can Jake. We are vulnerable.)) I pleaded. They eyed me suspiciously, looking from me to Jake.

((I did not do that to him. If you will trust me, I can explain everything.

So they sat down, and listened while I told my story. At the very end, they still looked skeptical, but more believingly. Cassie got up and took a thermometer out of the sack.

"How can we trust you?" Marco asked. "Jake doesn't usually trust people that easily." Cassie knelt by Jake and put the thermometer in his mouth.

((Whether you believe me or not, he is hurt and needs medical assistance immediately.)) I was getting angry. Here I was confess a part of my life to them and they still didn't believe me. Jake suddenly stirred.

"Visser?" He asked weakly, then coughed. Cassie looked up at me then back at him. I took the hint.

((Yes, Jake?)) I asked calmingly.

"Where'd you get the thermometer?" he asked.

((Uhm, I found it on the ground.)) I replied, not thinking of a better answer.

"Ewww." he said, wrinkling his nose to show distaste. Then he asked, "Am I going to die?"

I think that question shocked everyone. I didn't answer at first, becaus ethe device beeped. Cassie quickly grabbed it and read it quickly before her face went extremely pale.

((Well, Jake... that's hard to say. I mean... uhm... are you thirsty? We can head over to the stream if you want.)) I stuttered grabbing the device from her hands to see.

104.8

((My God.)) I said privatley to no one in particular. The normal human temperature was 98.2, this was insane!

Just then his eyes began to close, and I knelt down and shook his shoulders. It could not be a good thing to close your eyes when your temperature was like this.

((Jake!)) I cried, again and again. ((Jake! Jake!!)) No response. I knew he was dying, but I didn't want him to.

I looked to his friends for help. ((We must get him to the hospital. Now.)) I seethed. Rachel quickly got out her cellphone and punched in the three digits.

9-1-1.

_Hold on, Jake._ I willed,_ Just a little longer, and you'll be safe. _


	8. Poor Jake

**Marco**

I sat in one of those cushioned hospital chairs in the waiting room. My hands were clasped together, rested on my shaking knees. I bit my lower lip nervously. Poor Jake.

From the cave, Rachel had called the nearest hospital and gave them her name and our location. Visser Three had helped carry him out of the cave, but had to leave quickly when they came.

I was pretty sure that he was back amongst the Yeerks now, telling his story and probably leaving out the part about Jake.

The helicoptor arrived for Jake shortly after that and whisked him away. They, of course, arrived to the hospital before us. Jake was immediately brought to the OR or the 'Operating Room'.

The doctors and nurses stitched him up good and gave him some medications to help with the pain. Now he was in room A17 with a bunch of nurses who were quickly trying to stabalize him. Doctor Grytum had informed us that Jake would be unconcious for the remainder of the day and for most of tomorrow a few minutes ago.

Poor Jake.

I looked over at my friends. Tobias was in human morph, holding Rachel's hand. The two of them looked ready to puke. Ax was just sitting there, staring at nothing. _Doing_ nothing. Cassie held her head in her hands. She sat next to me to the right, so I could see the tears sliding down her cheeks and off her face.

I looked up at the doorway in time to see Dr. Grytum come in. He smiled at us, tryin to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

"Hello again." He said cheerfully, reaching out his hand to shake mine. "I'm Dr. Grytum as you know." I just nodded.

"Well," he said changing to a more serious tone. "we've managed to stabalize your friend, but we don't know how long that will last. It looks as though he is suffering from internal bleeding in the head and chest region." I didn't know what that meant, but it couldn't be good. "He is still unconcious, and we have no idea when he will wake up."

Crap. Not what we were hoping for.

"But, anyways," he continued. "he _is _stabalized so you guys can go see him." Rachel looked up.

"We can see him?" She asked. He nodded. "Let's go!"

He laughed. "Alright kids, follow me."

And so I stood slowly and followed the doctor to room A17.

**A/N: so whadda ya think?? i no... i no, no updates in awhile. but, hey, it was my birthday yesterday and my mom's today, my dad's last week and my brother's last year.. **

**wht can you do...? anyways, r&r!!**


	9. The Arrival

**Marco**

My hands were shaking as we entered room A17. As I peered inside, I gasped. Jake, my best friend, was hooked up to all sorts of machines that were rasping and beeping all around him. As for Jake himself, he lay still on the bed. I could just barely see his chest rise and fall with breathing.

It didn't look to good.

He needed a respirator over his nose and mouth to ensure that he kept breathing. The heart monitor tracked his pulse: slow and uneven. And the machine that kept track of his brain activity, was still. **A/N: what the heck are those things called?**

"Okay kids," the doctors voice snapped me back to reality, "Jake is stabilized, but at the moment, anything can throw him off. If he shows any sign of movement, any sign at all, do one of two things. Option one: hit the little red button on the wall." He pointed. "Option two: peek your head out the doorway and scream 'help' until someone comes running." He looked at us.

"Now then, if you choose option two but there is no one in the halls that you can see... flip the little switch on the brain machine. Do not... I repeat do _not, _consider this as option three.It's only for emergencies. Understand?"

We all just nodded in agreement as he left. A strange silence fell over us as he did and I shifted uncomfortably in it. The only sounds were the random beeps emitted from the several machines.

_Tap. Tap-tap. Tap._

I jumped and looked at the window. There on the windowsill, watching us, was a Golden Eagle. It tapped it's beak on the window again, asking for entry. Cassie immediatly obliged and opened the window.

The bird swooped in and landed on one of the cushioned chairs in the small room. Tobias turned up his nose in disgust.

He doesn't like Golden Eagles very much.

The eagle glanced around at us before again swooping down, this time landing on Jake's un-casted arm. It cocked it's head and kind of just stared at him. _Who was this guy? Obviously he was morph-capable since a real eagle would never do such a thing._

Then, as if answering my question, he spoke. ((How is he?)) Visser Three's voice rang through my head as he swiftly looked at us.

"Wow," I said in awe. "you really _do _care." He nodded his tiny bird head.

((Yes, I have a heart.)) He said sarcastically. ((Or more specifically, two. Anyways, I went back to the pool, as I required nourishment, and told my story. No one believed me, which actually is a good thing.)) He paused, searching for the right words.

((So, I told them I was going to meet someone, and that I did not need any guards. No one objected or asked where I was going, so I flew here to check on him.)) He sighed. ((And now we're up to the point where you have left my question hanging.))

Ha. So this guy has a sense of humor.

"He's doing fine." I lied. "The doctors say he'll be out of here in a w-week's time." I stuttered. _Shit._

((Marco, we all know that you don't have to lie to me.)) _Crap. He noticed._

"Okay, fine." I said sheepishly. "The doctors don't know when he will wake up. He's in critical condition and they just managed to get him stabilized and he may or may not pull through."

Upon hearing this, he quickly hopped off of Jake's arm. ((So... he may die?))

"Yes." Rachel said through gritted teeth. "He might."

((Why don't you just wake him up and force him to demorph?)) The visser asked skeptically, tilting his head at us. We looked at him.

"Can you do that?" Cassie asked in amazement.

((No, I do not have the proper equiptment to do this.)) He said sadly.

"Oh." We all chimed, our hopes crushed. Suddenly above the silence, I heard a beeping.

And it was getting slower. I looked over at the machines.

His heartbeat was slowing down!

"Guys.." I pointed.


	10. All my Fault

**Rachel**

Hey, Rachel here. I don't really have a lot of time since the church session is about to start. _Church session? _your asking, _what session?_

Well, right now, I wish I was you and didn't know a thing. I'm at Jake's funeral session. Yeah, that's right. His funeral. Jake died about five days ago in the hospital. Confused? Here, let me fill you in.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

5 DAYS AGO

"Guys..." Marco stuttered, pointing. So, he'd noticed it too. I looked at my best friend for assurance, to tell me that it was okay. But all Cassie did was gasp and put her hand to her mouth.

"Marco, get some help." She whispered urgently. Marco, however, was petrified. He'd seen her face and he knew what it meant.

"NOW!" Cassie screamed. Marco jumped, quickly ran for the door, and poked his head outside._ No, no, no. _I thought to myself,_ this cannot be happening!!_

Cassie ran over to Jake's side, knocked Visser Three out of the way, and took his wrist in her fingers; checking for a pulse.

"Cassie," Tobias choked, as the Visser relocated himself, muttering something about inferior humans. "We have a heart monitor." Cassie looked up at it.

"I know, I'm checking to see if it's right." She explained. We all "oh'd" and then fell silent. A few minutes later, Marco poked his head back in, panting.

"No one's out here!" He gasped. Cassie's eyes grew big.

"What do you mean 'no one's here'?" She asked, bewildered. "It's a frikkin' hospital, God dammit! There has to be somebody around!" Marco shook his head, then abruptly stopped as though he had a headache.

"Cassie, I did what the doctor said to do. I couldn't see anyone, so I ran outside and started screaming my ass off for someone to come. After five minutes, I shouted our room number and came back in, since no one came running."

_Where is everybody? _I thought, as I pushed the big red button on the wall. Cassie looked at me, confused, then shook it off. She had obviously forgotten that pressing the big red button was option one.

((What is going on?)) Asked Visser Three from his new position on the hospital chair. I just shrugged and I guess that wasn't good enough for him, because he immediately began to demorph.

I winced. His Andalite form gave me the creeps. He then, seeing the unsure looks on our faces, changed to human. "Is this any better?" He asked politely.

Marco looked at him and shrugged. "Better but still not my favorite." He said promptly. I looked at the red button again. I had pressed it, hadn't I?

Yes, I did. I know I did.

So then why was no one coming?

"Cassie?" I asked.

"WHAT?!" She practically shrieked, her hands grabbing a fistful of her hair.

"The options aren't working, neither of them are." I pointed out. "No one's here, and no one is coming."

"She's right." Marco said, walking towards us. "I just checked outside, no one's coming." I nodded. Cassie just kind of stared.

It scared me. "It's up to you Cassie, but I think that we need to flip the switch."

"We don't even know what it does!" She cried. "It could kill him!"

I looked at her with sad eyes. "I know, Cassie. I know. But what choice do we have?"

We sat there for about a minute, deciding. The only noise in the room was the heart monitor. Tracking his pulse.

Slower... and slower.

"Okay." She agreed, flipping up the switch. For about a minute nothing happened.

Then, the uneven, slow beeps of the heart monitor gave way to a long, flat, high-pitched one. I felt the tears forming.I heard Cassie begin to wail. Jake was dead and it was all my fault.

I had just murdered my cousin. That was it. No more war. No more Earth.

We were doomed.

I shut my eyes and let the tears fall. Tobias came up behind me after awhile, but I didn't care. I didn't lean into him for comfort nor did I push him away. I just stood there, listening to the single, steady drone of Jake's dead heart.

- - - - - - - - - - -

5 YEARS LATER

Yes, that was how it had happened five years previous today. I am 21 now, have to children: Jacod and Tom (guess who I named them after??)), and am happily married to the love of my life, Tobias.

Marco owns his own TV show called 'Marco The Great' (go figure) and Cassie is helping out with the Hork-Bajir in Yellowstone, making sure they are happy.

Ax was named Prince after the war, and does many great things for his people. I guess he really did live up to his brother's standards.

Tom, my cousin, is alive and free and also is a professional basketball player. Any time he signs an autograph, he signs it as: Jake's Big Brother.

As for Jake: he was cremated after the funeral and his family took his ashes. After the war, with the entire world watching on television or in the crowd, we sprinkled them on a beach in his home town. They made a huge statue of him looking into the horizon, and renamed the beach in his honor.

Now, when anyone is talking about our 'Fearless Leader', they nickname him.

These nicknames include: The Great Yeerk-Killer, Jake-the-Great, or even so far as Our Savior and Earth's Hero.

The Animorph's all get together for a reunion on Jake's Birthday. Prince Aximili even flies down fromthe Andalite homeworld just to lay fresh flowers on his grave with us. Reporters come from all over to film it, and everyone in the world watches it in silence, only speaking at the end to say Jake's prayer:

_"We are strong,_

_We are free,_

_Rid of evil,_

_Together be._

_On this planet,_

_We will stand,_

_Behind our Savior,_

_Hand in hand._

_He saved our lives,_

_So many of them,_

_But lived in fear,_

_Forever condemned._

_So now we stand,_

_Our flaws number zero,_

_United by him,_

_Jake Berenson: our hero."_

-THE END-

**A/N: so whadda ya think? Am i really that bad for killing him off... omg im so sry! i didn't know what else to do with him!! God, im going to get A LOT of flams for this!**

**Oh well... r&r so I can complete my other story, the controlled! (For the record.. I wrote the poem!)**


End file.
